Best Blu Ray Player...

[ADRiiAN`]

I do really appreciate the input guys!

Looks like you guys have me leaning towards BDP350

[gekke henkie]

Don't forget the Panasonic BD-35, which compares to the Sony's 350 very well. Just go for the one that you can get the best deal for in your region.

Just my $0.02

[callas01]

The Panasonic bd35K

[ADRiiAN`]

Originally Posted by callas01

The Panasonic bd35K

I've heard about this recently!
Supposedly it got amazing reviews.

I've been seeing amazing prices on the BDP350 and the BD35.

[callas01]

I just bought the Panny BD35 today on amazon, this is, like the sony 350 getting good reviews early on. I can tell you after wednesday what I think of the Panny. Mainly I went with it because the BD10AK that I have is great at upscaling and I like Panasonic products a lot. But don't get me wrong I like Sony a lot too. Also, when I saw pics of the Panny it looked more beefy then the Sony (a personal prefference). Also the onboard decoding of all HD audios and BD live without having to upgrade firmware were other reasons. But the main reason was the price, I saved a few $$ on the panny over the sony.

[Kaiju]

Sony S350 or Samsung P1500 are the best for a reasonable price, I do believe.

I have the latter and it works fine, no problems at all.

[adkinsse54]

The best player, right now, is the one I own!

[ADRiiAN`]

Thanks a lot guys!
I picked up the Sony BDP-S350 today for $269.99 with 3 free blu ray movies. Not too shabby.

I've got a question (i'll also post this in the Pioneer VSX-1017 thread).

My dad has a Pioneer VSX-1017, now, it doesn't have the hardware for DTS-HDMA or TrueHD. The S350, has TrueHD internal encoding but not DTS-HDMA encoding, right? The player has multichannel analog correct? So I can connect it like that and get LPCM?

As well, all of the the DTS-HD movies will be the 'core'. What about the TrueHD movies? Will I get TrueHD sound because of the multichannel?

Thanks!

[mr peepers]

Originally Posted by ADRiiAN`

Thanks a lot guys!
I picked up the Sony BDP-S350 today for $269.99 with 3 free blu ray movies. Not too shabby.

I've got a question (i'll also post this in the Pioneer VSX-1017 thread).

My dad has a Pioneer VSX-1017, now, it doesn't have the hardware for DTS-HDMA or TrueHD. The S350, has TrueHD internal encoding but not DTS-HDMA encoding, right? The player has multichannel analog correct? So I can connect it like that and get LPCM?

As well, all of the the DTS-HD movies will be the 'core'. What about the TrueHD movies? Will I get TrueHD sound because of the multichannel?

Thanks!

i dont believe the sony350 to have multichannel analog output. for that, you're looking at having to step up to the 550.

if the 350 HAD multi ch. analog output, you would indeed be getting trueHD with the player doing the decoding. DTS HD MA, you would still just be getting the DTS core.

[ADRiiAN`]

Gah.
So it's only got 2.0 analog?!
Why would Sony put 5.1 analog on the S300 but not the S350!?

But thank you for clearing that up, multichannel seems to be a savior!

Well, good thing I have til January for a refund, maybe I can find the Panny BD55 or the S550, for an amazing price.

[mr peepers]

Originally Posted by ADRiiAN`

Gah.
So it's only got 2.0 analog?!
Why would Sony put 5.1 analog on the S300 but not the S350!?

But thank you for clearing that up, multichannel seems to be a savior!

Well, good thing I have til January for a refund, maybe I can find the Panny BD55 or the S550, for an amazing price.

they more than likely didnt put 5.1 or 7.1 analog on the 350 so that they had a reason to produce and sell the s550. heh.

with the 550, they added the DTS HD MA decoder along with the 7.1 analog outs to get those people with the older receiver to step up to the 550.

[ADRiiAN`]

Originally Posted by mr peepers

they more than likely didnt put 5.1 or 7.1 analog on the 350 so that they had a reason to produce and sell the s550. heh.

with the 550, they added the DTS HD MA decoder along with the 7.1 analog outs to get those people with the older receiver to step up to the 550.

That's exactly what i'm going to have to do.
Oh Sony is smarter then I thought

He bought the 1017 when it was on sale here, and he's going to keep it for years, so no point of him upgrading, unless Pioneer offers some sort of trade up deal, which I highly doubt.

Me and my sister are going to split the cost of the S550 then. Multichannel analog FTW

[ADRiiAN`]

Well.
It looks like it's a battle between the Panny BD55 or the Sony S550.
Inputs?!

[mr peepers]

Originally Posted by ADRiiAN`

Well.
It looks like it's a battle between the Panny BD55 or the Sony S550.
Inputs?!

im in the EXACT same boat as you unfortunately with that one.

ive been looking back and forth and both, and, well, im clueless.

both are going to be great players either way. i know the sony comes with a 1gb usb flash drive for the bd live stuff in the box, the panny doesnt. load times are supposedly pretty similar. same with PQ/AQ.

i havent decided yet which looks better im opinion either. its quite the mind job. haha

[rubberghost]

ps3.

[ADRiiAN`]

Originally Posted by mr peepers

im in the EXACT same boat as you unfortunately with that one.

ive been looking back and forth and both, and, well, im clueless.

both are going to be great players either way. i know the sony comes with a 1gb usb flash drive for the bd live stuff in the box, the panny doesnt. load times are supposedly pretty similar. same with PQ/AQ.

i havent decided yet which looks better im opinion either. its quite the mind job. haha

haha. From what I have read, they are both amazing players.

Will I have to keep the USB flash drive in the player at all times for the BD-live stuff? I don't mind if I can use an SD card, I just don't want anything sticking out! I'm picky

I love the panny,because its all black, but the Sony is gorgeous too!

[sickness]

Originally Posted by ADRiiAN`

haha. From what I have read, they are both amazing players.

Will I have to keep the USB flash drive in the player at all times for the BD-live stuff? I don't mind if I can use an SD card, I just don't want anything sticking out! I'm picky

I love the panny,because its all black, but the Sony is gorgeous too!

hehe, i only like ps3 for gaming.

i bought a separate blu-ray player to play my BR movies

[Midnightsailor]

Originally Posted by sickness

hehe, i only like ps3 for gaming.

i bought a separate blu-ray player to play my BR movies

I've heard that a few of the Panasonic players have better PQ than the PS3, anyway. I'd like to get a standalone, someday.

[mr peepers]

Originally Posted by ADRiiAN`

haha. From what I have read, they are both amazing players.

Will I have to keep the USB flash drive in the player at all times for the BD-live stuff? I don't mind if I can use an SD card, I just don't want anything sticking out! I'm picky

I love the panny,because its all black, but the Sony is gorgeous too!

the usb flash drive is located on the back of the unit, and you have to have it plugged-in in order to utilize the bd live stuff on bd's. so you dont really see it, but it will be sticking out the back of the player at all times. or at least every time you want to access the bd-live stuff.

i dont know which one i prefer. having the sd card plugged into the front, or the usb drive in the back that'll i'll never see but wont be able to access very easily after its all plugged in in my component rack.

i like the all black look to the panny, but for some reason, the sleek blue tinted front to the sony looks rather appealing to me as well.

i bought the bd35 from best buy just to give panny a shot, and so far its pretty nice. i sold my old blu-ray player and needed a quick replacement while i decide which one i want to order for sure off amazon for cheaper, the bd55 or s550.

ugh.

P.S. ..... the ps3 is not really an option. with the bd55 and s550 out now, there's really no major benefit to buying the ps3 over a standalone since they're the same price, PQ is supposedly on par if not a bit better, and the ability to have analog outputs in addition to hdmi on the standalones are a huge benefit to many consumers. and i dont really game anymore than i have to. and the 360 fuels my desire for that. heh

[ADRiiAN`]

Originally Posted by mr peepers

the usb flash drive is located on the back of the unit, and you have to have it plugged-in in order to utilize the bd live stuff on bd's. so you dont really see it, but it will be sticking out the back of the player at all times. or at least every time you want to access the bd-live stuff.

i dont know which one i prefer. having the sd card plugged into the front, or the usb drive in the back that'll i'll never see but wont be able to access very easily after its all plugged in in my component rack.

i like the all black look to the panny, but for some reason, the sleek blue tinted front to the sony looks rather appealing to me as well.

i bought the bd35 from best buy just to give panny a shot, and so far its pretty nice. i sold my old blu-ray player and needed a quick replacement while i decide which one i want to order for sure off amazon for cheaper, the bd55 or s550.

ugh.

P.S. ..... the ps3 is not really an option. with the bd55 and s550 out now, there's really no major benefit to buying the ps3 over a standalone since they're the same price, PQ is supposedly on par if not a bit better, and the ability to have analog outputs in addition to hdmi on the standalones are a huge benefit to many consumers. and i dont really game anymore than i have to. and the 360 fuels my desire for that. heh

I wouldn't mind having the usb flash drive, as long as it's in the BACK, because I can just leave it sitting there forever.

To me, the PS3 will always be a gaming machine. It's called a Playstation for a reason. I don't want to get my dad a gaming console!

The PS3 WAS a great option, because of the price point, but now the S550 and BD55 have the better hardware over the PS3,(I'm talking about internally decoding HD audio, plus much more video and audio outputs to give you plenty of choices) and for a little less.

I would want to get the Sony, because the sleek blue would make me feel more BLU

Decisions, decisions. Well when you do, I would love to know which player you actually made the jump for. Christmas is extremely close, and i'm just waiting for the perfect price to JUMP onto!